Slovakia PM shooting – live: Robert Fico ‘escaped death by a hair’ as president says situation ‘critical’
Slovak populist prime minister shot in stomach during meeting with supporters in Handlova
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Your support makes all the difference.The Slovakian prime minister “escaped death by just a hair,” after he was shot in the stomach in an assassination attempt on Wednesday.
Mr Fico, 59, was injured after five shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova where the leader was meeting with supporters.
In an update on Thursday, Slovakia’s president-elect Peter Pellegrini said the PM is still “critical” as he is living “the worst hours and days of his life”.
He added that if the bullets struck just a few millimetres either side, the Mr Fico would have been killed.
Suspect Juraj Cintula, 71, believed to be a former security guard and poet, was charged with attempted murder and faces up to 25 years in prison.
He is believed to have attended anti-government protests, and in social media posts referred to having disagreements with Mr Fico’s policies.
Mr Fico, a well-known ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, is a divisive figure in Slovak politics, with the European Union Parliament elections due to take place in three weeks.
Who is Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico?
Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico shot in ‘politically motivated’ attempted assassination
Robert Fico, Slovakia's populist prime minister, who returned to power on a pro-Russian platform
Slovakia’s parliament suspended after prime minister Robert Fico injured in shooting
‘Threat to democracy’: Slovakian leaders unanimously condemn Fico’s shooting
Slovakian leaders from across the political spectrum unanimously condemned the assassination attempt on prime minister Robert Fico.
Outgoing president Zuzana Caputova, a political rival of Mr Fico, said in a televised statement: “A physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy.”
“Any violence is unacceptable. The hateful rhetoric we’ve been witnessing in society leads to hateful actions. Please, let’s stop it,” he added.
President-elect Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Mr Fico, called the shooting “an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy”.
He said: “If we express other political opinions with pistols in squares and not in polling stations, we are jeopardising everything that we have built together over 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.”
Kremlin condemns assassination attempt on Fico
The Kremlin condemned the assassination attempt on Slovak prime minister Robert Fico and wished him a speedy recovery. Fico was shot as he was leaving a government meeting.
“Naturally, we condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia. “We consider it absolutely unacceptable. This is really a great tragedy.”
“We hope that Mr Fico will be able to pull through and recover as soon as possible. We wish him a speedy recovery,” Mr Peskov said.
As he prepared for a visit to China, president Vladimir Putin yesterday made the rare move of sending a telegram to Slovak president Zuzana Caputova.
“I was indignant to learn about the attempt on the life of the Chairman of the Government of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico. There can be no justification for this monstrous crime,” Mr Putin said.
“I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation.”
‘Cowardly act’: Indian prime minister Narendra Modi condemns attack on Fico
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi joined scores of leaders condemning the assassination attempt on his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico.
“Deeply shocked at the news of the shooting at Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico,” he wrote on X. “I strongly condemn this cowardly and dastardly act and wish PM Fico a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with the people of the Slovak Republic.”
Slovak government to meet following assasination attempt on PM
Slovakia will convene a state security council meeting and the government will also meet from 11am (9am GMT) on Thursday, the government office said.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot in an assassination attempt when leaving a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but a government minister said his life was no longer in danger.
Slovak PM Fico's condition stabilised but serious, says hospital director
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s condition is stabilised but remains serious, a hospital director said on Thursday, after an assassination attempt the previous day.
Who is Robert Fico?
Born to a working-class family in September 1964, Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico graduated with a law degree in 1986 and joined the then-ruling Communist party.
After the 1989 Velvet Revolution that led to the break up of former Czechoslovakia, he worked as a government lawyer and represented Slovakia at the European Court for Human Rights.
During a three-decade career, Fico has moved between pro-European mainstream and nationalistic positions opposed to European Union and US foreign policy.
What party does Robert Fico belong to?
Fico has run the Smer-SD party since 1999 after establishing it to oppose the reformist centre-right cabinet. He had been turned down for a ministerial post by the Democratic Left, the political heirs to the Communist Party.
Fico, 59, returned to power in Slovakia last year. Having previously served twice as prime minister, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, his third term, won in September last year, made him the longest-serving head of government in Slovakia’s history.
After the win in 2006 – two years after Slovakia joined the EU – Fico kept the nation on course to adopt the Euro in 2009 despite forming a government with nationalists.
Fico and Smer have most often been described as left-populist, though he has also been compared to right-wing politicians like the nationalist prime minister of neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orban.
‘Left wing populist’: What does Robert Fico believe?
During a three-decade career, Fico has skilfully weaved between pro-European mainstream and nationalistic anti-Brussels and anti-American positions, while showing a willingness to change course depending on public opinion or changed political realities.
Polling at around 10 per cent in 2020, the Covid pandemic opened a door for Fico, who sought to address voter fears in slamming government health measures.
At the same time he a tapped into dissatisfaction with bickering in the ruling government and raised doubts with its pro-Western course, chiming with pro-Russian narratives on social networks that had spread across Slovakia.
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